Suddenly, WaPimp doesn’t kiss and tell

posted at 10:55 am on July 3, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

The uproar over the Washington Post’s attempt to act as pimp and madam between lobbyists, reporters, and high-ranking government officials has exposed more than just one hypocrisy. An astute reader points out that besides the damage done to the Post’s political integrity by Katherine Weymouth’s access sale, their response points out a massive journalistic hypocrisy, too. The LA Times’ Peter Nicholas wanted to get a list of government officials invited by Weymouth to be bait for the lobbyist money guests to her “salon,” but got the stonewall treatment when asked:

The Post said it would not release a list of public officials who’d been invited to the dinners.

I guess the Post doesn’t kiss and tell, huh? They didn’t always take that position, though. When Dick Cheney met with energy-industry leaders in 2001 (before he could take advantage of the Post’s Mack Daddy program), the Post demanded transparency in government officials meeting with lobbyists. In fact, the Post got inside sources to divulge the list of participants in the meetings of the Energy Task Force. The Post was so impressed with itself that it created the handy table in order to make the information as easy to read as possible, when it published the names of all the participants in 2006.

Now, how does that situation differ from the Post’s own “salons” intended to create tete-a-tetes in private with high-ranking government officials? Shouldn’t the Post, as a journalistic organization, inform the public about the actions of public officials who want to secretly meet with lobbyists? After all, that was the reasoning behind the demand that Cheney release the participants in the ETF — that secrecy would negatively impact public policy. If these public officials declined the invitations, we’d like to see that kind of integrity honored. If they didn’t decline the invitations, then we should know about that, too.

This is what happens when a journalistic organization decides to moonlight as a power pimp for profit. The moonlight identity becomes the sole identity.

So they are admitting that invitations had actually gone out. Anyone dumb enough to allow a flyer to be printed is dumb enough to leave a paper trail with names of invitees. The reporter just has to talk to the person who addressed the invitations. The truth will out.

The LA Times’ Peter Nicholas wanted to get a list of government officials invited by Weymouth

Good track to follow. I also think taking officials’ say-so on whether they’d decided to attend or not should not accepted at face value and there should be a demand for the release of all communications on the matter. What had been promised to these officials? Were they “guaranteed” (from the flier) something, too?

Living just outside DC, I am constantly irritated by the overheard conversations every day usually beginning with “did you see the Post article about Obama’s ….. (fill in the blank)”, “did you hear about Bushs secret…”, “I can’t believe the Post won’t demand Cheney to…”.
Makes one want to give someone an adult case of shaken-baby syndrome.
I generally wait to hear the exchange, then politiely correct them. Usually to dropped jaws that they were standing close to a Republican. Ewwww!

You don’t get it — When the state run media does the guest listing and conducts the affair for money, it’s all just good capitalism. Have to stay in business somehow, right?

The cozy hammock of state run media and the politburo has been exposed and it’s not pretty.

Lawmakers who had been invited said they were not told the events would make money for the newspaper. But the Post had separately sent fliers seeking sponsors who would pay $25,000 for a single “salon” or $250,000 for 11 events.

Probably true they just thought of it as just another bribe fest to go to.

d1carter on July 3, 2009 at 10:58 AM
Could be. She does have the hard life, burned out eyes of a whore.

MikeA on July 3, 2009 at 11:13 AM

If she has the eyes of a whore, it’s certainly not because she’s had a hard life. She had led a life of wealth and privilege. Katharine is the daughter of Lally Weymouth, who was the daughter of Katharine and Phil Graham. It was Katharine Graham’s very wealthy father who purchased the Post, and her husband Phil who was mainly credited with turning it into a money-maker. Phil (who came from a working class background) was supposedly brilliant, but he was also a first-rate a$$hole who treated Katharine Graham like crap (a fact she was either unable or unwilling to acknowledge). When Phil committed suicide, Katharine left behind her life as a society housewife/mother and took over the Post, and she was the one running it during the Watergate drama.

hisfrogness on July 3, 2009 at 11:37 AM
At what point do this overwhelm and people yell stop …

tarpon on July 3, 2009 at 11:42 AM

The WaPo’s “voluntary readership” is pretty much down to the lefty echo chamber, like most of the liberal rags masquerading as “newspapers” these days. For the liberal fascist class however, the WaPo is the trough they feed off of, so they think this is GREAT – a really effective tool to further their cause, sorta like pimping out the Lincoln Bedroom was for Klinton. So, don’t think this is the end of it or that the rats will start jumping ship – The WaPo just has to be more clever about their pimpin’ now.

I’m not sure why you think this link belongs on this thread… Maybe you just like the part that I struck out…
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Jonah’s spot on with this advice.
Mr. Joe on July 3, 2009 at 11:14 AM

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So here’s my advice. Stay home and do your job and your homework. You’ll still be a national figure come the primaries. But if you can’t surprise your detractors with your grasp of policy when you re-emerge on the national stage, you won’t win the nomination. More important, you won’t deserve to.

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To be honest, it does not matter a bit what she does with the MSM, most of the country has made up their minds on her. Those that are on the fence will be swayed only if she goes around the MSM (they are mostly all pimps for Obama and the socialist agenda now anyway so she will always be edited to look the worst). Indeed she does need Paladins to fight most of the goofier battles so that she can remain above it as much as possible (http://www.johnziegler.com/ comes to mind), but “stay home”…. PLEASE.
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3 years from now we may not recognize this country anymore; due in large part to the stinking lies and half truths being reported as news. Omissions/below the fold reporting of important stories for some Baseball teams Father’s Day celebration (Phila Inquire did that during the first days of the Iran election protests and the Nork missile crisis).
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This WaPo story is an ice breaker for things to come, and your reaction is to post a link advising Palin to stay home… How about this, you stay home (since that seems to make sense to you). I’ll be in Phila on the 4th. Noon at Independence Hall… http://www.independencehalltpa.com/ . Or, find a tea party for yourself and add something positive to the resistance. http://www.teapartyday.com/Locations.aspx
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